Chapter 22, Problem 1CT

Summary Introduction

To construct:

A diagram of how human activity can affect the environment in a way that ultimately harms humans.

Concept introduction:

Humans live in a complex and changing world where animal health, human health, and environmental health are well connected. Thus, it can be easily concluded that these are inextricably interrelated.

Answer to Problem 1CT

Correct answer: The following image represents the way by which human activity can affect the environment in a way that ultimately harms humans:

Fig. 1: Affect of human activities on the environment.

Explanation of Solution

Animal health, human health and environmental health overlap and interconnected with each other. Human activities such as pollution (water pollution, air pollution and so on) and over-harvesting results in a change in the environment such as global warming, the emergence of infectious diseases (from animal movement and ecological disturbance) that are more resistant and so on. All of these contribute to an increase in the rate of emergence of infectious diseases such as ehrlichiosis, Babesia, Lyme disease, and so on.

Conclusion

The constructed diagram depicts that human activity affects the environment in such a way that it ultimately harms humans by increasing the rate of emergence of infectious diseases.